Mark Davis would have quit college as a junior for $60,000. The San Diego Padres offered him $52,000. He turned it down. "There were an awful lot of people who gave me flak about that," said Davis, an outfielder who's in his first big-league spring camp with the White Sox. "There were some people who said, `You`re not interested in playing baseball because you turned down a lot of money.` " Davis completed his economics degree at Stanford and then learned a hard lesson:...

Engineers from Union Pacific were in Park Ridge this week inspecting for the second time a railroad viaduct called a "public safety hazard" by city officials after a chunk of concrete fell from the viaduct and reportedly cracked a resident's windshield late last month. The Omaha-based railroad company has been called to task over the years for the condition of the viaduct, which ferries Metra trains across Touhy Avenue in the heart of the near northwest suburb. But the city's mayor,...

NFL Team Report - Oakland Raiders - INSIDE SLANT When the process was complete and the smoke cleared, Dennis Allen stayed in place as coach of the Oakland Raiders following a second consecutive 4-12 season. Whether Allen's job was ever really in jeopardy is not known. Owner Mark Davis made it clear that upon the regular season, general manager Reggie McKenzie would meet with Allen and his staff, then brief Davis. The next step was Davis meeting with Allen. The two rarely speak during...

The Sports Xchange Raiders fire PR director over SI story Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly fired public relations director Zak Gilbert, blaming him for an April 18 Sports Illustrated article that cast the Davis family, including late owner Al Davis, in a negative light but portrayed new general manager Reggie McKenzie as the potential savior of the franchise. Gilbert hadn't been allowed at the facility since the article, written by Jim Trotter, was published, according to...

The Union Pacific Railroad has apologized for a closed station at Davis Street in Evanston on the Union Pacific North line last Thursday afternoon that kept customers outside in the cold. Union Pacific has notified communities along its lines that it would be leaving stations open during the extreme cold temperatures for passenger safety, spokesman Mark Davis said. The stations will remain open around the clock until it is communicated to the...

The Sports Xchange NFL Team Report - Oakland Raiders - INSIDE SLANT When the process was complete and the smoke cleared, Dennis Allen stayed in place as coach of the Oakland Raiders following a second consecutive 4-12 season. Whether Allen's job was ever really in jeopardy is not known. Owner Mark Davis made it clear that upon the regular season, general manager Reggie McKenzie would meet with Allen and his staff, then brief Davis. The next step was Davis meeting with...

A freight train that stalled traffic for hours this afternoon at the 5th, 9th and 25th Avenue crossings in west suburban Maywood, has been repaired, officials said. Preliminary reports stated the train was derailed, but a spokesman for Union Pacific said a broken coupler caused the train to halt. The part was on hand and train engineers made repairs on the scene, said Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific. Davis said as of 4:15 p.m., Union Pacific information...

The Sports Xchange NFL roundup: Raiders owner says GM's job is safe Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said parting ways with public relations director Zak Gilbert should not be read as an issue with general manager Reggie McKenzie. Gilbert's contract wasn't renewed after a Sports Illustrated article on the franchise was critical of the late Al Davis. Mark Davis said Gilbert's replacement needs to understand the importance of his father's legacy and work to protect it, but...

The Sports Xchange Raiders fire PR director over SI story Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly fired public relations director Zak Gilbert, blaming him for an April 18 Sports Illustrated article that cast the Davis family, including late owner Al Davis, in a negative light but portrayed new general manager Reggie McKenzie as the potential savior of the franchise. Gilbert hadn't been allowed at the facility since the article, written by Jim Trotter, was published, according to...

The Sports Xchange Former Raiders DE Davidson dies Defensive end Ben Davidson died from prostate cancer at the age of 72, former Raiders coach John Madden told KCBS radio in the Bay Area. Davidson played three seasons for the Packers before joining the Raiders from 1964-71 and emerging as a feared pass rusher on Oakland's defense dubbed "11 Angry Men. " "We'll miss him. I've known him since I was about 8 or 9 years old. He was larger than life, a huge man with that big...

Union Pacific Railroad recently closed the pedestrian crossing at the downtown Metra station in Lake Forest in an attempt to improve safety, according to railroad and city officials. Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman, said an engineering team removed the crossing and extended over it the wire fence that runs between the two tracks May 18. He explained that railroad officials deemed it a hazard to the operation of the commuter line earlier this year. Davis said Union...

Manager Jeff Torborg had both catchers, Carlton Fisk and Ron Karkovice, in Friday night's lineup. Karkovice worked well with Eric King in King's previous start, a shutout victory over the Royals at Kansas City last Saturday. Fisk has had success with K.C. starter Bret Saberhagen in the past. With Steve Lyons swinging the bat well, Torborg rested Carlos Martinez for the second straight game. Martinez started the night 1 for his last 20. - For the second night in a row,...